接受理论视域下的中国古代志怪小说英译研究——以《聊斋志异》为例

A Study on the English Translation of Chinese Ancient Tales of the Supernatural from the Perspective of Reception Theory—A Case Study of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio

摘要: 清代小说家蒲松龄创作的《聊斋志异》是中国志怪小说的巅峰之作，以其独特的叙事手法、精彩纷呈的故事情节和深刻的反封建礼教思想内涵赢得了读者和学者的广泛赞誉。英国著名汉学家闵福德取其中104篇经典故事进行翻译，出版后在英语世界中广为流传，为中国典籍“走出去”作出了贡献。本文从接受理论视角对闵译本进行研究，详细探讨和分析接受美学理论在闵福德《聊斋志异》英译本中的应用，并通过具体实例，揭示闵福德如何在翻译中优先考虑功能对等，通过解释性翻译和归化策略降低文化门槛，确保译本的可读性和流畅性。分析了闵福德在处理文化意象时的归化与适度异化的方法，以及在再现文学性语言时的忠实与创造，总结了闵福德翻译策略的优点及其对中华典籍对外传播的启示。

Abstract: Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, written by Qing Dynasty novelist Songling Pu, is the pinnacle of Chinese tales of the supernatural, winning wide acclaim from readers and scholars for its unique narrative techniques, exciting storylines and profound anti-feudalist ideological connotations. The famous British sinologist Minford translated 104 of these classic stories, which were widely circulated in the English-speaking world after publication, contributing to the “going out” of Chinese classics. This paper studies Min’s translations from the perspective of Reception Theory, discusses and analyses in detail the application of Reception Aesthetics in the English translation of Minford’s English translation of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, and reveals, through specific examples, how Minford gave priority to functional equivalence in translation, lowered the cultural threshold through interpretive translation and naturalization strategies, and ensured the readability and fluency of the translation. Minford’s methods of naturalization and moderate alienation in dealing with cultural imagery, as well as fidelity and creativity in reproducing literary language, are analyzed. The thesis summarizes the merits of Minford’s translation strategies and their implications for the foreign dissemination of Chinese canonical texts.